Man Allegedly Shot Himself Then Blamed A Fictional Black Gunman

A Bronx man is under arrest after allegedly lying to police about a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 20-year-old Arthur Palombo accidentally shot himself in the stomach Wednesday night as he walked through the Williamsbridge Oval Park in the Norwood neighborhood, according to the local Norwood News. But instead of fessing up to the painful and painfully embarrassing moment, Palombo - who is Hispanic - told cops he was shot during a struggle with an African-American male. Now he is the one facing criminal charges.

After being taken to Jacobi Medical Center in The Bronx, Palombo told investigators he was in the park to meet a buyer for the gun. After haggling over the price, a physical confrontation occurred, and according to Palombo, the man shot him with his own gun. Palombo described his shooter as a black man with a bald head. Police later retrieved the gun from the park.

As reported in New York’s Daily News, however, detectives began punching holes in his story. After Palombo was released from the hospital, police interviewed him again - and he admitted he had made the whole story up. The gun had accidentally gone off in his jacket pocket. Palombo was charged with weapons possession and filing a false report and was held on $10,000 bail.